Baler attachment for optionally changing the orientation of bales being released from a baler

ABSTRACT

A bale turning apparatus for attachment to a baler to generally align the cylindrical of the bales in each row as the bales are released from the baler. Using the disclosed invention, the bales are essentially turned ninety degrees from the orientation of bales from the position that they are typically released from a round baler. By accomplishing this general alignment of the cylindrical axis of each bale in each row, when baling corn stover or other row crops, the bale loading operation can later be done more efficiently by driving down the rows in the same direction as the combine and baler have traveled.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/628,555 filed Sep. 27, 2012, claiming the benefit of U.S. Ser. No.61/540,286 filed Sep. 28, 2011, both of which are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to balers and more particularly to anattachment for balers for controlling the orientation of bales when suchbales are released from the baler onto the ground.

BACKGROUND

As forage material comes into a baler for making round bales, thematerial turns in the baling chamber around a rotational axis offormation, or the eventual cylindrical axis of the bale, which axis istransverse to the direction of forward travel of the baler as the baleis being formed. So when the bales are released from the rear of thebaler, the cylindrical axis of the bale is still transverse to thedirection of forward travel of the baler.

Since typically round bales are ejected from the baler with their axisperpendicular to the direction of travel, this means that currentstandard retrieval machines must also travel perpendicular to the fieldrows to line up with the bales and weave inefficiently throughout thefield to get to each bale. In row crops, this also results in travellingacross the field rows which is bumpy and can be uncomfortable for theoperator and damaging to the equipment. Some current retrievers attemptto address this by twisting the bale on the field during pickup, butcrops like corn stover bales on corn stubble fields can and are oftendamaged by this process resulting in a loss of the bale.

Additionally, if round bales are ejected on a slope such as hillsidesthey can roll downhill and be damaged or cause a dangerous situation.Operators try to compensate for this by manipulating the tractor/balercombination manually before ejecting the bale, but this process is timeconsuming and inaccurate. To solve this problem, bale turning devicesfor round balers have been developed.

Examples of balers with bale turning devices on them are shown in U.S.Pat. No. 6,033,172 to Simon, U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,550 to Goossen, U.S.Pat. No. 7,000,533 to Derscheid, U.S. Pat. No. 7,353,753 to Viaud andBritish Patent No. GB 2 292 335 to Rout, all of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

There is a growing interest in harvesting cellulose residue fromrow-crops for producing bio-fuels such as ethanol for producing energy.Corn, for example, is grown in rows where there are ridges of soilbetween rows of corn. So when a combine is used to harvest corn, thecombine travels parallel to the rows so that the cutters go right downthe rows. Another reason to have the combine go parallel to the rows isthat it would be a very bumpy ride to travel across each ridge of eachrow. Similarly, when it comes time to bale corn stover, essentially thecorn stalk, leaves and cobs less the corn which was harvested by thecombine, it is much easier and more efficient for the baler to travelparallel to the rows than transverse to the rows. That results in balesthat are released with the cylindrical axis of the bale transverse tothe direction of the corn rows.

As mentioned above, loading those round bales dropped in a corn field totransport them from the corn field cannot be efficiently accomplished bymerely traveling parallel to the corn rows because loading equipmentrequires that the bales be approached from the ends and not from therounded sides. Furthermore bales from a baler are typically dropped tothe ground as soon as they are formed so a new bale can be started.Therefore, even if the field is mostly flat, the cylindrical of thebales would rarely be anything close to being aligned with each other,requiring the bale loading equipment to weave all over the field to getaligned with an end of each bale individually.

If the bales of corn stover in a corn field, for each row of bales asthey are being formed, could be turned so that the cylindrical of eachbale was generally in alignment from one bale to the next in each row ofbales, then bale loading equipment could just be driven through a cornfield from one bale to the next bale, etc., in a direction parallel tothe ridges in the corn field, to efficiently pick up and load baleswithout excessive repositioning of the bale loading equipment from onebale to the next adjacent bale. But the prior art bale turners are notentirely suitable for use in row crop fields such as corn fields. Forexample British Patent No. GB 2 292 335 to Rout uses ground engagingcarriage wheels on his bale turner, which would not work well whencrossing ridges between rows in a harvested corn field but would causethe carriage to bounce up and down when crossing the ridges.

Accordingly, an improved attachment to balers for accomplishing suchgeneral alignment of the cylindrical of each bale in each row of bales,especially in row crop fields, would be highly desirable for increasingthe ease and efficiency of loading and removing the bales from thefield.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bale turning apparatus for attachmentto a baler to generally align the cylindrical of the bales in each rowas the bales are released from the baler. Using the present invention,the bales are essentially turned ninety degrees from the orientation ofbales from the position that they are typically released from a roundbaler by merely lifting the rear gate of the baler and allowing the baleto fall on the ground after it has been formed.

By accomplishing this general alignment of the cylindrical of each balein each row, in a row crop situation, the bale loading operation can bedone by driving down the rows in the same direction as the combine andbaler have traveled. This means the loading equipment will approach thebales from one end without a constant repositioning of the loadingequipment when traveling from one bale to the next.

There is also a benefit in that the bale loader can travel down the samepath as the baler and the combine, due to the bale being offset to oneside, and the fact that most bale movers load the bale from a positionoffset from the tractor and the bale mover chassis which typically istowed directly behind the tractor.

In one embodiment of the invention a round baler with a front, a rear, aleft side and a right side is used for making round bales from foragematerial. It includes a baler frame with a carriage support structurehaving a mostly vertical support axis and ground engaging wheelsoperatively rotatably attached to the baler frame about a mostlyhorizontal axis. A rear gate is operatively pivotally attached to thebaler frame about a horizontal gate pivot axis and has at least twopositions including a closed position wherein the rear gate defines aportion of a bale chamber and an open position wherein the bale chamberis open to allow a formed bale to be discharged. A carriage frame isoperatively attached to the carriage support structure of the balerframe rearwardly of the horizontal axis of the ground engaging wheelsand to one side of the rear gate and a carriage is operatively attachedto the carriage frame. The carriage has a first position wherein a firstcarriage side closest to the front of the baler is positioned below therear gate and a second carriage side is positioned closest to the rearof the baler. Additionally the mostly vertical support axis is fixedwith respect to the baler frame.

Optionally, the carriage frame is operatively pivotally attached to thebaler frame with a second position wherein the carriage frame is pivotedapproximately 90 degrees about the mostly vertical support axis whereinthe second side of the carriage behind one of the ground engaging wheelsand offset from the rear gate. Also, optionally, the carriage can beoperatively pivotally attached to the carriage frame along a mostlyhorizontal axis, the carriage having a first position wherein the secondside of the carriage is a first distance above the ground; and a secondposition wherein the second side of the carriage is a second distancethat is less than the first distance for encouraging a bale resting onthe carriage to drop off of the second side of the carriage.

In one embodiment, the carriage support structure can further include acam track and the carriage further comprises a positioning arm with acam roller that is configured to engage the cam track wherein the camand camtrack retain the carriage in its first position when the carriageframe is in its first position and retain the carriage in its secondposition when the carriage frame is in its second position.

Additionally a hydraulic cylinder can be affixed to the carriage frameon one end and to the carriage on the other end wherein the cylinder canmove the carriage between its first position and its second positionwhen the carriage frame is in its first position and the cylinder canmove the carriage between its first position and its second positionwhen the carriage frame is in its second position.

If desired, a bale catching arm can also be operatively attached to oneof the baler frame and/or carriage frame on a first end thereof, thebale catching arm having a second end wherein a bale when resting on thecradle in the pivoted position thereof has a cylindrical axis, a top anda bottom, a side on one side of the cylindrical axis closest to thebaler and a side on the other side of the cylindrical axis farthest fromthe baler; and, wherein at least a portion of the second end of the balecatching arm has at least a bale catching position disposed on the otherside of the cylindrical axis farthest from the baler, thereby preventingthe bale from rolling on the ground when the bale moves off of thecarriage.

Another aspect of the invention disclosed herein relates to a roundbaler also with a front, a rear, a left side and a right side for makinground bales from forage material including a frame with a carriagesupport structure having a mostly vertical support axis, ground engagingwheels operatively rotatably attached to the frame of the baler about amostly horizontal axis, a rear gate operatively pivotally attached tothe frame about a horizontal gate pivot axis and having at least twopositions including a closed position wherein the rear gate defines aportion of a bale chamber and an open position wherein the bale chamberis open to allow a formed bale to be discharged. A carriage frame isalso operatively attached to the carriage support structure rearwardlyof the horizontal axis of the ground engaging wheels and to one side ofthe rear gate and a carriage is operatively attached to the carriageframe, the carriage having a first position wherein the carriage retainsthe formed bale as the center of gravity of the formed bale moves pastthe first side of the carriage as the bale moves out of the bale chamberand the carriage having a second position wherein the carriage releasesthe formed bale as the center of gravity of the formed bale moves pastthe second side of the carriage.

Optionally, the carriage can be operatively pivotally attached to thecarriage mounting structure along a mostly horizontal axis the carriagehaving a first position wherein the second side of the carriage is afirst distance above the ground and a second position wherein the secondside of the carriage is a second distance that is less than the firstdistance for encouraging a bale resting on the carriage to drop off ofthe second side of the carriage.

Still another aspect of the present invention disclosed herein relatesto a round baler, also with a front, a rear, a left side and a rightside for making round bales from forage material and further having aframe with a carriage support structure with a mostly vertical supportaxis. Ground engaging wheels are operatively rotatably attached to theframe of the baler about a mostly horizontal axis. A rear gate isoperatively pivotally attached to the frame about a horizontal gatepivot axis and has at least two positions including a closed positionwherein the rear gate defines a portion of a bale chamber and an openposition wherein the bale chamber is open to allow a formed bale to bedischarged. A carriage frame is operatively attached to the carriagesupport structure rearwardly of the horizontal axis of the groundengaging wheels and to one side of the rear gate and a carriage isoperatively attached to the carriage frame. The carriage has a firstposition wherein the carriage is disposed at least partially below therear gate to catch a formed round bale when the rear gate is moved toits open position wherein the bale moves from the bale chamber, and atleast partially past the first side of the carriage and a secondposition approximately ninety degrees from the first position whereby abale on the carriage is turned approximately ninety degrees from thefirst position thereof. Additionally there is a stop mechanismoperatively attached to the carriage frame, the stop mechanism being forstopping movement of the carriage at the second position thereof whenthe carriage is moving from the first to the second position of thecarriage whereby inertia of the bale moving from the first position ofthe carriage to the second position of the carriage will cause the baleto fall off of the second side of the carriage when the carriage isstopped at the second position of the carriage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above needs are at least partially met through provision of themethod and apparatus described in the following detailed description,particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a tractor towing a baler with abale turner constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention attached thereto, showing a bale in the finishingstages of being formed in the baler;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a tractor towing a baler with abale turner constructed as in FIG. 1 but with the rear gate of the balerbeing open with the finished bale resting on a carriage;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of FIG. 2 from the other side thereof; FIG. 3also shows an alternate embodiment of FIG. 6;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view looking rearwardly from the tractor after thebale has been turned ninety degrees from the FIG. 3 position about thevertical axis shown in dashed lines in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view looking forwardly from the rear of the balerafter the bale has been turned ninety degrees from the FIG. 3 positionabout the vertical axis shown in dashed lines in FIGS. 3-5;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the alternate embodiment referred to abovewith respect to FIG. 3, looking forwardly from the rear of the balerafter the bale has been turned ninety degrees from the FIG. 3 positionand furthermore as the carriage is pivoted about a substantiallyvertical axis that is tipped out to one side as shown (but appears as avertical axis in FIG. 3), the carriage moves from the level positionshown in FIG. 3 to the tipped position shown in FIG. 6 to cause the baleto drop off of the carriage to the right as shown in FIG. 6 immediatelyafter the carriage has been so pivoted;

FIG. 7 is a top schematic view of the lower rear part of the baler withthe present invention attached thereto with the carriage not pivoted andnot tilted in the position it would be in when a bale is being made andin the position of FIG. 2 when the bale moves from the baling chamber torest on the carriage;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the bale turning attachment of thepresent invention detached from the baler in the position shown in FIGS.2 and 7 showing both the mostly vertical and mostly horizontal pivotalaxes which will be described below;

FIG. 9 is another perspective view of the bale turning attachment of thepresent invention detached from the baler in the position shown in shownin FIGS. 2 and 7;

FIG. 10 is a top schematic view of the lower rear part of the baler withthe present invention attached thereto with the carriage not pivoted andbut tilted in the position of FIG. 6 when the bale moves from thecarriage to the ground;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bale turning attachment of thepresent invention detached from the baler in the position shown in FIG.6 and showing both the mostly vertical and mostly horizontal pivotalaxes which will be described below;

FIG. 12 is another perspective view of the bale turning attachment ofthe present invention detached from the baler in the position shown inshown in FIGS. 10 and 11;

FIG. 13 is a top view of the bale turning attachment of the presentinvention detached from the baler in a position between the positionsshown in FIGS. 3 and 4, but additionally tilted similar to what is shownin FIG. 6;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the bale turning attachment of thepresent invention detached from the baler in a position like that shownin FIG. 13 between the positions shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and showing boththe mostly vertical and mostly horizontal pivotal axes referred toabove, using a hydraulic cylinder to tilt it similar to what is shown inFIG. 6;

FIG. 15 is another perspective view of the bale turning attachment ofthe present invention detached from the baler in a position like thatshown in FIGS. 13 and 14 between the positions shown in FIGS. 3 and 4using a hydraulic cylinder to tilt it similar to what is shown in FIG. 6and showing both the mostly vertical and mostly horizontal pivotal axesreferred to above;

FIG. 16 is a top schematic view of the lower rear part of the baler withthe present invention attached thereto with the carriage pivoted ninetydegrees from the FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 but nottilted;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the bale turning attachment of thepresent invention detached from the baler as in FIG. 16, in the pivotedposition shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, but not tilted;

FIG. 18 is another perspective view of the bale turning attachment ofthe present invention detached from the baler in the position shown inFIGS. 16 and 17, not tilted;

FIG. 19 is a top schematic view of the lower rear part of the baler withthe present invention attached thereto with the carriage pivoted ninetydegrees from the FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 using ahydraulic cylinder to also tilt it about a horizontal axis;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the bale turning attachment of thepresent invention detached from the baler in the position shown in FIGS.4 and 5 and showing both the mostly vertical and mostly horizontalpivotal axes referred to above using a hydraulic cylinder to pivot itabout the vertical axis and another hydraulic cylinder to tilt it aboutthe horizontal axis;

FIG. 21 is another perspective view of the bale turning attachment ofthe present invention detached from the baler in the position shown inFIGS. 6, 19 and 20;

FIG. 22 is a perspective exploded view of the rear of the baler with thecarriage frame pivoted ninety degrees as shown in FIGS. 6 and 16-20 forexample;

FIG. 23 is a top plan view of the rear of the baler with the carriageframe pivoted ninety degrees as shown in FIGS. 6 and 16-20 for example;

FIG. 24 is a top schematic view of another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the lower rear part of the baler with the presentinvention attached thereto with the carriage not pivoted and not tiltedin the position it would be in when a bale is being made and in theposition of FIG. 3 when the bale has moved from the baling chamber torest on the carriage;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the bale turning attachment of FIG. 24detached from the baler in the position shown in FIG. 3 and showing boththe mostly vertical and mostly horizontal pivotal axes which will bedescribed below;

FIG. 26 is another perspective view of the bale turning attachment ofthe present invention detached from the baler in the position shown inshown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS. 24-26 showing acam and cam follower to accomplish automatic pivoting about both thevertical axis and horizontal axis when moving between the positions ofthe carriage between the FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 positions, FIG. 27 showing itsimilar to the tilted position of FIG. 6;

FIG. 28 is another perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS. 24-26showing a cam and cam follower to accomplish automatic pivoting aboutboth the vertical axis and horizontal axis when moving between thepositions of the carriage between the FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 positions, FIG.28 showing it similar to the tilted position of FIG. 6;

FIG. 29 is a side view of the cam and cam follower in solid anddashed/hidden lines shown in the position of the FIGS. 6 and 24-26 wherethe carriage is in a position to receive a bale from the baling chamberwhen the rear gate is opened;

FIG. 30 is a side view of the cam and cam follower in solid anddashed/hidden lines shown in the position approximately half way betweenthe positions of the FIGS. 3 and 6;

FIG. 31 is a side view of the cam and cam follower in solid anddashed/hidden lines shown in a position similar to the position of theFIG. 6 where the carriage is pivoted ninety degrees from the FIGS. 3,27, 28 and 29 position and also pivoted about a horizontal axis torelease a bale from the carriage;

FIG. 32 is a rear view of the baler similar to FIG. 6, but showing thebale having moved to the ground and prevented from rolling to the rightas shown in this view by an L-shaped arm pivotally attached about asubstantially vertical axis;

FIG. 33 is a rear view of the baler similar to the device of FIG. 32,but showing the bale having moved to the ground and prevented fromrolling to the right as shown in this view by an L-shaped arm pivotallyattached about a substantially horizontal axis;

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 33 using the camoperated embodiment of FIGS. 24-31 to pivot the carriage and bale ninetydegrees and pivot the carriage to cause the bale to fall off of thecarriage, while also moving a bale catching arm to the right side of thebale as shown in FIGS. 33-35 to prevent the bale from moving too far tothe right before coming to rest, thereby making it easier for baleloading equipment to travel the same basic path as the baler during abale loading operation;

FIG. 35 is a rear view of the FIGS. 33 and 34 bale alignment arm justbefore it is deployed to the FIGS. 33 and 34 position thereof, when thecarriage is in the position of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of the carriage and bale catching arm inthe position shown in FIG. 35;

FIG. 37 illustrates a schematic view of a hydraulic system utilized tocoordinate the movements of the associated components of the embodimentof FIGS. 24-31 and 34-36; and

FIG. 38 illustrates a schematic view of a hydraulic system utilized tocoordinate the movements of the associated components of the alternateembodiment illustrated in FIG. 6.

Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity andhave not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensionsand/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures maybe exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improveunderstanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also,common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in acommercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order tofacilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of thepresent invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described ordepicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in theart will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence isnot actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have theordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressionsby persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above exceptwhere different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicateidentical or similar parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows abaler 10 being towed by a tractor 1, in the process of making a bale 2,the baler 10 having a bale turning apparatus 11 attached thereto.

After the bale 2 has been completed, the rear gate 12 is pivoted upabout horizontal axis 12 a as shown in FIG. 2, allowing the bale to moverearwardly onto a cradle 13 which is part of turning device 11 of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 3-5 show sequentially the next few steps of how the presentinvention operates in two of its most useful modes, FIG. 3 showing theFIG. 2 position with the bale 2 resting on cradle 13. Then, the baleturning apparatus 11 pivots the cradle 13 and bale 2 ninety degrees(90°) along vertical axis 13 v to a position to one side of the baler 12as shown looking from the tractor 1 in FIG. 4 and looking from the rearof the baler in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is an alternate embodiment where the mostly vertical axis 13 vtis tipped to one side that shows how the cradle 13, having been turnedninety degrees about a vertical axis (90°) from the position shown inFIG. 3 also tips the cradle 13 from the FIG. 3 position to the FIG. 6position due only to the turning about the axis 13 vt. The mostlyvertical axis 13 vt of FIG. 6 is straight up and down vertical whenviewed from the side as shown in FIG. 6 and is identical to the verticalaxis 13 v when viewed from the angle shown in FIG. 3.

The round baler 10 has a baler frame 10 f with a carriage supportstructure 14 (See FIGS. 12, 22 and 23) attached to the baler frame 10 fabout the mostly vertical support axis 13 v as shown in FIGS. 7-9.Ground engaging wheels 15 are rotatably attached to the baler frame 10 fabout a mostly horizontal axis.

The rear gate 12, is pivotally attached to the baler frame 10 f about ahorizontal gate pivot axis 12 h and has at least two positions includinga closed position shown in FIG. 1 wherein the rear gate defines aportion of a baling chamber and an open position, shown in FIGS. 2 and6, wherein the baling chamber is open to allow a formed bale 2 to bedischarged.

A carriage frame 13 f is attached to the carriage support structure 14of the baler frame 10 f rearwardly of the horizontal axis of the groundengaging wheels 15 and to one side of the rear gate 12.

The carriage frame 13 f is pivotally attached along axis 13 v to thecarriage support structure 14, via carriage frame hinge pin 13 pextending through clevis like carriage support hinge part 14 fh (FIG.22), the carriage 13 having a first vertically pivoted position shown inFIGS. 1, 3 and 7-9 wherein a first carriage side 13 a is closest to thefront of the baler 10 and positioned below the rear gate 12 and a secondcarriage side 13 b closest to the rear of the baler 10. It is importantto note that the mostly vertical support axis 13 v is fixed with respectto the baler frame 10 f.

The carriage frame 13 f also has a second vertically pivoted positionshown in FIGS. 16-18 wherein the carriage frame 13 f is pivotedapproximately 90 degrees about the mostly vertical support axis 13 vwherein the second side 13 b of the carriage 13 is behind one of theground engaging wheels and offset from the rear gate 12. Note that whenthe carriage 13 is pivoting between the FIGS. 1, 3 and 7-9 position tothe FIGS. 16-19 position, it will transition through intermediatepositions between the first and second positions, one example of suchintermediate position being shown in FIGS. 13-15. A hydraulic cylinder13 vhc is pivotally attached along a vertical axis at pin 13 pa to thecarriage support structure 14( ) and pivotally attached along anothervertical axis 13 pb to the carriage 13 itself (See FIG. 27.)

The carriage 13, except in the FIG. 6 embodiment, is pivotally mountedabout the horizontal axis 13 h to the carriage frame 13 f as can best beseen in FIG. 12. This permits the carriage 13 to not only pivot aboutvertical axis 13 v about the carriage support frame 13 f but allows thecarriage to pivot about horizontal axis 13 h as well. The carriage 13 isselectively pivoted by using a hydraulic cylinder 13 hc pivotallyattached at pin 13 hch to the first end 13 a of the carriage 13. Thehydraulic system for this embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 37 includinga hydraulic circuit specifically for controlling the position ofhydraulic cylinder 13 hc. This circuit will allow the carriage to berotated about the horizontal axis 13 h independent of the position ofthe carriage frame about the vertical axis 13 v. The hydraulic cylinder13 hc is also pivotally attached at the other end thereof to an arm13arm, the arm 13arm being rigidly attached to the carriage 13 at oneend thereof. The carriage 13 has a first position (FIGS. 7-9 and 16-18)wherein the second side 13 b of the carriage is a first distance abovethe ground and a second position (FIGS. 10-12 and 19-21) wherein thesecond side 13 b of the carriage 13 is a second distance that is lessthan the first distance for urging a bale resting on the carriage toroll off of the second side 13 b of the carriage. Pivoting the carriage13 about a horizontal axis is one way to get the bale to fall off of thecarriage.

Referring now again to FIG. 6, an alternate embodiment, the bale isurged to fall off of the carriage 13 by merely tipping the mostlyvertical axis 13 vt. After the bale has been turned ninety degrees fromthe FIG. 3 position to the FIG. 6 position the carriage is pivoted abouta substantially vertical axis that is tipped out to one side and as thecarriage moves from the level position shown in FIG. 3 to the tippedposition shown in FIG. 6 and that is what causes the bale to drop off ofthe carriage to the right as shown in FIG. 6 immediately after thecarriage has been so pivoted.

A third way to urge the bale off of the carriage 13 is to use a camdevice shown in FIG. 27, which is a front left perspective view of theembodiment of FIGS. 24-26 showing a cam and cam follower. Thesecomponents automatically pivot the carriage about the horizontal axis asit moves between the position shown in FIG. 27 and the position shown inFIG. 36. FIG. 27 shows the tilted position, accomplishing the tipping ofthe carriage using a cam 22 and cam follower 21. Assisting the processis the fact that when the outer end of the cam follower 21 hits theouter end of the cam 22 it acts as a stop so that sudden stopping of thecarriage 13 results in the momentum and inertia of the bale to cause thebale to drop off of the carriage. This stop can be provided without acam/cam follower or tipping function and it will still operate to causethe inertia alone to cause the bale to fall off of the carriage 13.

FIG. 28 is a rear left perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS. 24-26showing a cam 22 and cam follower 21.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS. 24-26 showing acam and cam follower.

FIGS. 29-31 are schematic representations of the carriage, cam and camfollower. FIG. 29 is a side view that corresponds to FIG. 34, of the cam22 and cam follower 21 in solid and dashed/hidden lines shown where thecarriage is in a level position to receive a bale from the balingchamber when the rear gate is opened like what is shown in FIG. 2. InFIG. 29 the cam follower 21 is in the section 22 a of the cam follower22.

FIG. 30 is a side view of the cam and cam follower in solid anddashed/hidden lines shown in the position approximately half way betweenthe positions of the FIGS. 2 and 27. The movement of the carriage frameand cam follower relative to the cam is illustrated in this series ofschematic drawings as a translation. In the actual embodiment thismovement is actually caused by the rotation of the carriage frame aboutthe vertical axis 13 v (See FIGS. 25 and 26). The cam is an arcuateplate, wherein it is illustrated in these schematic drawings as a flatplate. Section 22 b of the cam can be positioned to cause the carriageto rotate about the horizontal axis 13 h in a direction to improve thecapability of the carriage to hold the bale securely as it moves out ofthe bale forming chamber of the baler.

As the carriage frame rotates about the vertical axis 13 v, the camfollower 21 moves through the part 22 c to the part 22 d shown in FIG.31 corresponding to the position that the carriage is finally in theposition shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, and wherein the carriage 13 is fullypivoted ninety degrees from the FIG. 2 position. As a result of and atthe same time, the cam 22 and cam follower 21 has caused the carriage topivot about horizontal axis 13 h to a tipped position to urge the baleto roll off other carriage 13 in a direction away from the baler. FIG.38 illustrates the hydraulic system associated with this embodiment,wherein there is not a separate hydraulic circuit for controlling theposition of the carriage relative to the carriage frame. This FIG. 38also illustrates an additional aspect of this invention, an L-shaped armuseful for controlling the movement of the bale across the ground afterit drops off of the carriage.

FIG. 32 is a rear view of the baler 10 similar to FIG. 6, but showingthe bale 2 having moved to the ground and prevented from rolling to theright as shown in this view by an L-shaped arm 30 pivotally attachedabout a substantially vertical axis 30 v. The arm 30, with horizontalleg 30 a and vertical leg 30 b can be folded against the side of thebaler when the carriage 13 is not in the position shown in FIG. 32.

FIG. 33 is a rear view of the baler similar to the device of FIG. 32,but showing the bale having moved to the ground and prevented fromrolling to the right as shown in this view by an L-shaped arm withadjustable parts 42/42 t/42 s which are also shown in FIGS. 34-36, whichL-shaped arm is pivotally attached about a substantially horizontal axis40 h.

FIG. 34 is perspective view of the device of FIG. 33 using the camoperated embodiment of FIGS. 24-31 to pivot the carriage and bale ninetydegrees and pivot the carriage 13 to cause the bale 2 to fall off of thecarriage 13, while also moving a bale 2 catching arm 42/42 t/42 s to theright side of the bale as shown in FIG. 33 to prevent the bale frommoving too far to the right before coming to rest, thereby making iteasier for bale loading equipment to travel the same basic path as thebaler during a bale loading operation.

FIG. 35 is a rear view of the FIGS. 33 and 34 bale alignment arm justbefore it is deployed to the FIGS. 33 and 34 position thereof, when thecarriage is in the position of FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 36 is a perspectiveview of the carriage and bale catching arm in the position shown in FIG.35.

FIGS. 37 and 38 illustrate hydraulic systems utilized to coordinate themovements of the associated components. FIG. 37 illustrates, as notedpreviously, the embodiment wherein the carriage is rotated in thecarriage frame about axis 13 h by a hydraulic cylinder. This allows thecarriage 13 to be rotated to drop the bale 2 at any desired position ofthe carriage frame 13 f. With this arrangement the bale 2 can be droppedstraight behind the baler 10, with its axis perpendicular to the traveldirection, or rotated 90 degrees so that the axis of the bale 2 isparallel to the travel direction, or any angle there between, ascontrolled by the cylinder 13 vhc that causes the carriage frame torotate about vertical axis 13 v.

The cylinder 13 vhc that causes the carriage frame to rotate aboutvertical axis 13 v is activated by a hydraulic line that is connected inthis embodiment to two sequence valves 112/113. The first sequence valve112 is activated by the position of the tailgate 12. When the tailgate12 is in its open position, this valve 112 opens to allow oil to flow tothe second sequence valve 113 that is activated by the position of abale sensor 114. The bale sensor 114 is activated by a bale 2 as itfalls into the carriage 13, once in the carriage 13 the bale 2 causes alinkage 115 to activate the second sequence valve 113 that will allowoil to flow the cylinder 13 vhc that rotates the carriage 13 about thevertical axis 13 v.

This circuit is connected in series to the cylinder 116 that raises thetailgate 12, which cylinder 116 is connected to a remote valve 117 ofthe tractor. The operator then controls the bale discharge by moving aremote valve 117 to the position to raise the tailgate 12, and thencontinues to hold the remote valve 117 in that position to subsequentlyrotate the carriage 13 to move and discharge the bale 2. The rotation ofthe carriage 13 will determine the orientation of the axis of the bale 2relative to the baler 10. This control can be accomplished manually,allowing the operator to control the remote valve 118 of the tractor 1.It could also be accomplished automatically, if a control device on thetractor 1 or the baler 10 was allowed to automatically control thecylinder 13 hc that rotates the carriage frame 13 f (FIGS. 17 and 18).

FIG. 38 illustrates an alternate embodiment that works in conjunctionwith the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein the pivot axis 13 vtis oriented to reliably discharge the bale 2 when turned 90 degrees, orwith the embodiment that utilizes the cam and cam follower (See FIGS.24-33), to rotate the carriage 13 about the axis 13 h to discharge thebale 2. Thus, there is no need for a separate hydraulic circuit tocontrol the position of the carriage 13 relative to the carriage frame13. This embodiment illustrates the same sequence valves 112/113, butalso illustrates the additional mechanism 40 used to stop the bale 2 asit is discharged. The arm 41/42/42 s is activated by a cylinder 43 thatis directly connected to the tailgate cylinder 116. The butt-end of thecylinder 43 is connected to the butt-end of the cylinder 116 that raisesthe tailgate 12. The pressure required to raise the tailgate 12 issubstantially higher than the pressure required to lower the stop arm40, so this direct connection is adequate to cause the correct sequenceof actions, for proper operation the stop arm 40 needs to be loweredbefore the bale 2 is discharged. Thus this direct connection provides asimple and reliable operation.

In the following operation, wherein the tailgate 12 is closed, thedirect connection of the opposite end of the cylinder 43 to the tailgatecylinder 116 also provides the correct sequence. As the tailgate 12 islowered, oil is directed to the rod-end of the tailgate cylinder 116 andat the same time oil is directed to the rod-end of the cylinder 43 thatpositions the stop-arm. This arrangement ensures that the stop arm 40will be raised as the tailgate 12 closes.

Although FIGS. 37 and 38 illustrate specific combinations of components,these combinations can be varied. For instance a bale stop arm 40 couldbe added to the system illustrated in FIG. 37, if the bale stop armmechanism 40 was mounted to the carriage frame 13 f so that the stop arm40 was in the correct position to stop the bale 2 regardless of when thecarriage 13 was rotated to discharge a bale 2.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety ofmodifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect tothe above described embodiments without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, andcombinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventiveconcept as expressed by the attached claims.

We claim:
 1. A round baler (10) with a front, a rear, a left side and aright side for making round bales (2) from forage material comprising:a. a baler frame (10 f) with a carriage support structure (14), thecarriage support structure (14) being attached to the baler frame (10 f)and extending in a mostly horizontal orientation between the left sideand the right side; b. ground engaging wheels (15) operatively rotatablyattached to the baler frame (10 f) about a mostly horizontal wheelsaxis; c. a rear gate (12) operatively pivotally attached to the balerframe (10 f) about a horizontal gate pivot axis (12 a) and having atleast two positions including a closed position wherein the rear gate(12) defines a portion of a bale chamber and an open position whereinthe bale chamber is open to allow a formed bale (2) to be discharged; d.a carriage (13) operatively pivotally attached rearwardly of thehorizontal wheels axis of the ground engaging wheels (15), the carriage(13) having a first pivotal position and a second pivotal position, thesecond pivotal position being pivotally oriented in a substantiallytransverse relationship relative to the first pivotal position, wherein,in the first pivotal position thereof, the carriage being behind andbetween the sides of the baler and disposed substantially transverselyto the baler forward direction, the carriage (13) in the first pivotalposition thereof being aligned to receive the formed bale (2) upondischarge from the rear gate; and e. a bale catching arm having a firstarm end and a second arm end, the first arm end being operativelyassociated with one of the baler frame and the carriage, the second armend being movable between the first pivotal position and the secondpivotal position in concert with the movement of the carriage, the balecatching arm being vertically spaced from the carriage (13).
 2. Theround baler of claim 1, wherein the given round bale has a balediameter, the bale catching arm is configured to impinge a generallydiametrically opposed portion of the given round bale relative to aportion of the given bale contacting the carriage while the given baleis carried by the carriage.
 3. A round baler (10) with a front, a rear,a left side and a right side for making round bales (2) from foragematerial comprising: a. a baler frame (10 f); b. ground engaging wheels(15) operatively rotatably attached to the baler frame (10 f) about amostly horizontal wheels axis; c. a rear gate (12) operatively pivotallyattached to the baler frame (10 f) about a horizontal gate pivot axis(12 a) and having at least two positions including a closed positionwherein the rear gate (12) defines a portion of a bale chamber and anopen position wherein the bale chamber is open to allow a formed bale(2) to be discharged; d. a carriage (13) for receiving a round bale, thecarriage (13) being operatively attached relative to the baler frame (10f), the carriage (13) being operatively pivotally attached relative tothe frame and located rearwardly of the horizontal wheels axis of theground engaging wheels (15), the carriage (13) having a first pivotalposition and a second pivotal position; and e. a bale catching armhaving a first arm end and a second arm end, the first arm end beingoperatively associated with one of the baler frame and the carriage, thesecond arm end being movable between the first pivotal position and thesecond pivotal position in concert with the movement of the carriage,the bale catching arm being vertically spaced from the carriage.
 4. Theround baler of claim 3, wherein the given round bale has a balediameter, the bale catching arm is configured to impinge a generallydiametrically opposed portion of the given round bale relative to aportion of the given bale contacting the carriage while the given baleis carried by the carriage.
 5. The round baler of claim 3, wherein thecarriage defines a first bale entry side and a second bale exit side,the first bale entry side of the carriage being configured, while at thefirst pivotal position of the carriage (13), to receive a given bale viathe rear gate, the second bale exit side of the carriage beingconfigured to be a chosen side of the carriage (13) from which the givenbale is to drop off, the carriage (13) being further configured to be atleast one of tipped and pivoted in a manner to encourage the given baleto drop off from the carriage via the second bale exit side.
 6. Theround baler of claim 3, wherein the bale catching arm and the carriageare generally horizontally oriented.
 7. A round baler (10) with a front,a rear, a left side and a right side for making round bales (2) fromforage material comprising: a. a baler frame (10 f); b. ground engagingwheels (15) operatively rotatably attached to the baler frame (10 f)about a mostly horizontal wheels axis; c. a bale forming chamber mountedto the baler frame (10 f), the bale forming chamber including a chamberexit from which a formed bale (2) is configured to be discharged; d. acarriage (13) for receiving a round bale, the carriage (13) beingoperatively attached relative to the baler frame (10 f) and configuredto receive a given formed bale (2) from the chamber exit, the carriage(13) being operatively pivotally attached relative to the frame andlocated rearwardly of the horizontal wheels axis of the ground engagingwheels (15), the carriage (13) being configured to turn between a firsthorizontal pivot position and a second horizontal pivot positionrelative to the chamber exit; and e. a bale catching arm having a firstarm end and a second arm end, the first arm end being operativelyassociated with one of the baler frame and the carriage, the second armend extending away from the first arm end, the second arm end beingmovable relative to the first arm end generally in concert with themovement of the carriage, the bale catching arm being vertically spacedfrom the carriage.
 8. The round baler of claim 7, wherein the givenround bale has a bale diameter, the bale catching arm is configured toimpinge a generally diametrically opposed portion of the given roundbale relative to a portion of the given bale contacting the carriagewhile the given bale is carried by the carriage.
 9. The round baler ofclaim 8, wherein the carriage defines a first bale entry side and asecond bale exit side, the first bale entry side of the carriage beingconfigured, while at the first pivotal position of the carriage (13), toreceive a given bale via the rear gate, the second bale exit side of thecarriage being configured to be a chosen side of the carriage (13) fromwhich the given bale is to drop off, the carriage (13) being furtherconfigured to be at least one of tipped and pivoted in a manner toencourage the given bale to drop off from the carriage via the secondbale exit side.
 10. The round baler of claim 8, wherein the balecatching arm and the carriage are generally horizontally oriented.